2021 Bentley Bentayga

With the 2021 model, Bentley ups its game. The Bentayga has been tweaked slightly for the 2021 model and now comes a new set of features and equipment. With prices starting at around $183,425, the Bentayga is offered in two different trim levels and two different engine options. Plus, it offers tonnes of factory customization options and you can build a car that uniquely fits your tastes. This review walks you through all that the 2021 Bentayga has got on board and helps you decide if it is the right car for you. The 2021 Bentley Bentayga faces competition from some heavy hitters such as the 2021 Mercedes-Benz Maybach GLS 600, the 2021 Aston Martin DBX and the 2021 Lamborghini Urus.

The Bentley SUV is offered in 2 trim levels- the Bentayga V8 and the Bentayga Speed. The Bentayga V8 is the basic luxury SUV focused on the passenger on the back seat while the Bentayga Speed is designed for the driver and is built to offer a more exciting driving experience. The Speed trim of the 2021 Bentley Bentayga will be covered in a different review.

Which trim should you buy?

The Bentayga V8 seems like a more sensible option. Bentleys are about luxury and creature comfort and the base spec V8 trim comes with all the creature comfort and luxury equipment you would want. Hence, in our opinion, the Bentayga V8 is the one you should opt for.

Under the hood of the 2021 Bentayga sits a 4.0L twin-turbo V8 engine. The power plant is mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox and power is sent to all four wheels. The engine churns out a massive 542 horses and 568 lb-ft of torque. If these figures aren’t enough for you, then there’s the Speed trim of the Bentayga on the other hand that gets a mammoth 6L, twin-turbo, W12 engine that makes about 626 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque.

The V8 engine as expected is an extremely refined unit and fits the character of the car perfectly well. It is very hush and the power is delivered very linearly. The engine has a calm nature and never does feel in a hurry. Yet, it has enough punch and the numbers clearly prove that. On the straight line, the Bentayga gushes past the 0-60 mph mark in just 4.4 seconds.

On the drag strip, this SUV travels the quarter-mile distance in 12.1 seconds and maxes out at about 180 mph. This is a full-size, ultra-luxury SUV and its performance can put some supercars to shame.

The Bentley Bentayga in its base spec trim doesn’t get the highest power figures in the competition. The Bentayga and the Urus share the same engine but the Lambo’s engine is in a higher state of tune and hence makes 641 horses and 626 lb-ft of torque which is the highest in the class and more than Bentley’s W12 unit. 

The Lamborghini is also the quickest of the lot and does 0-60 in 3.2 seconds and hits the quarter-mile mark in just 11.3 seconds. The Aston Martin DBX on the other hand makes similar power figures as the Bentayga but is quicker than it on the straight line by a few tenths of a second. The Mercedes-Maybach makes more power than the Bentley but is slower than it on the straight line.

How well does the 2021 Bentley Bentayga handle?

The Bentayga might not be a driver’s car and most of its owners will spend most of their time in the back seats but then this isn’t a boring car to drive at all. One cannot call the ride and handling of the Bentayga car-like but then it handles too well for a full-size SUV. It is quick and picking up pace and can zip past corners swiftly. The steering feels nimble and precise and offers ample feedback while driving. 

You do feel a good amount of body roll while going through sharp corners but nowhere dents your confidence. Of course, it isn’t as exciting to drive like the Urus but the Bentayga isn’t really all about offering a gripping driving experience. If you really need an exhilarating driving experience, you may opt for the Urus or get the W12 version of the Bentley.

Braking Performance

The Bentayga comes equipped with 15.8-inch discs at the front and 15-inch discs at the rear. These brakes bring the 5300+ lbs. car to a full stop from 60 mph at a distance of 108 feet. The braking performance clearly tells that the brakes have a very strong bite on them. The strong brakes just impart you confidence while doing some high-speed driving and also enhance the overall safety quotient of the car.

The Lamborghini Urus surprisingly has the highest stopping distance in the competition. The Urus is the lightest car of the lot and yet travels 111 feet before coming to a halt. The Aston Martin DBX has the best braking performance in the competition and credit to its large rotors and low weight, the SUV stops at a distance of 106 feet when brakes are stomped at 60 MPH.

Fuel economy is never really a concern for buyers in this class, but nonetheless, we’ve got the figures covered for you. The Bentayga runs for about 15 mpg in the city while on the highway it hauls for up to 24 mpg. It gets an EPA rating of 18 mpg combined which is pretty decent for a car of this size and in this class. The car has a fuel capacity of 22.5 gallons.

The Bentayga has the highest fuel efficiency figures in the competition. It is closely followed by the Mercedes-Maybach that delivers 16 MPG combined. The other two rivals, the DBX and the Urus deliver 15 and 14 MPG combined respectively. In terms of fuel economy, only the Merc has a tank size of 23.8 gallons whereas the other three have a tank size of 22.5 gallons. The Bentayga offers the most range in this comparo, at 338 city miles and 540 highway miles. The Urus offers the least, at 270 city miles and 383 highway miles. The other two cars offer 300-400 miles range overall.

The interior of the 2021 Bentley Bentayga is absolutely gorgeous. The cabin just feels so upscale and premium and there’s hardly any car in the market that can offer you such an experience. The Bentayga is offered in 4, 5, and 7 seat configurations and you can opt for the one that fits your purpose the best. Bentley also offers a long list of customization options and you can choose from the color and material of the hide, veneer, piping, stitching, floor carpets, and even the style of the steering wheel.

The seats are very comfortable, cushy and offer great support. The front seats are placed nice and high and offer you a good view of the outside world. The amount of head, shoulder, and legroom at the front is also good and tall people will not have any troubles in being seated at the front. You also get an amount of space at the back even with the standard bench seat configuration. 

There’s enough space for 3 adults to fit in. You can also get the third row by paying extra but those seats are pretty much redundant and best suited for kids and rob the cargo space as well. You can also avail of those 4-seat comfort configuration which deletes the rear center seats and instead you get a large center console with cup holders and a refrigerator to store your drinks.

The seats as standard come wrapped in high-quality quilted leather and again there are a lot of options of different seat fabric materials for you to choose from. On the whole, the interior of the Bentayga is simply sumptuous and it feels serene on the inside. This is one of the plushest interiors you will find on a car and Bentley has left no stone unturned in making the interior beautiful.

If you compare just the numbers, it might look like the Bentley isn’t as spacious as the Mercedes-Maybach. However, the Bentayga has space for 5 adults as standard and no other car in the competition except the Aston Martin offers 5 seats. Also, the Bentley feels slightly more upmarket and comfier than all the other cars in the class and this British SUV certainly beats everybody else here in this area,

The 2021 Bentayga isn’t low on creature comfort features and equipment either. Some of the standout interior features are as follows:

• 16-way power-adjustable heated front bucket seats
• Heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Heated rear seats
• Dual-zone front and rear automatic climate control
• Leather door trim inserts
• Full leather upholstery
• Full leather headliner

What’s there to keep you entertained?

Bentley has built a pretty intuitive infotainment system. The Bentayga comes equipped with a 10.9-inch touchscreen infotainment display that sits in the center of the dash through which you control all the different infotainment and car settings. The system is quite sleek and simple to use and Bentley must be given due credit for thoughtfully designing the infotainment system. 

The climate control and heated seat settings can be adjusted through the screen. There’s also a fully digital instrument cluster and there’s a large screen behind the steering wheel that shows all the vehicle details and also integrates a navigation map like Audi’s virtual cockpit. Some of the highlights of the infotainment system are as follows:

• 20-speaker, 1920 watt Naim audio system
• 10.9-inch infotainment system
• Apple CarPlay and AndroidAuto
• 4 USB type-C sockets
• Voice control
• Handwriting recognition system

The Bentayga is quite a looker. It has that large beefy front end and then there’s the large chrome-clad rectangular signature Bentley matrix grille that looks very pristine. Also, there are those circular matrix LED headlights that just look gorgeous and premium. The car sits on a set of 21-inch wheels that give a very striking and commanding presence on the road. 

The Bentayga doesn’t get many prominent lines, cuts, and creases on the body and Bentley has kept the design very subtle and sober. At the back, oval-shaped LED tail lights to look very pretty and very premium. This is a beautiful vehicle and will certainly turn a lot of heads as you drive down in one of these.

The Bentley Bentayga and the Lamborghini Urus share the same platform and hence are dimensionally identical to each other. The Mercedes SUV on the other hand is the largest of the lot while the Aston Martin is the smallest. The Bentayga also features a ground clearance of 7.1 inches which is not all that great for off-roading but quite decent for a car in this class.

Some of the standout exterior features are as follows:

• 21 inch, 5-spoke aluminum with silver accents wheels
• Rear-wing spoiler
• Powered liftgate
• LED brake lights
• Chrome body side moldings
• Chrome side window trim

Bentley knows that high profile and important people would be driving around in their cars and so their safety is of utmost importance and hence has built a pretty safe car. The Bentayga hasn’t yet been tested and rated by the NHTSA and the IIHS but Bentley isn’t a brand that would let safety go for a toss. Some of the standout safety features are as follows:

• Automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection
• Lane departure warning with lane-keep assist
• Adaptive cruise control
• Night vision system
• Blind-spot monitoring system
• 360-degree camera
• Automated park assist system

2021 Bentley Bentayga vs 2021 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 4MATIC

The Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 is yet another very popular and sought-after ultra-luxury SUV. The German SUV undercuts the Bentley by a few thousand dollars but is slower on the straight line despite having the higher power figures. 

However, the Mercedes-Maybach is the larger of the two and hence offers to touch more space on the inside than what the Bentayga does. Both the SUVs are pretty similar to each other in terms of creature comfort and features although the GLS feels a bit modern and futuristic on the inside while the Bentayga has a contemporary interior layout. 

Luxury SUVs are all about standing out in the crowd and that Bentley logo on the hood of the Bentayga will offer you more exclusivity and snob value than Mercedes' three-pointed star. So, we would pick the Bentayga over the Mercedes. It’s not that the GLS is a bad car but it’s just that the Bentayga has a slight edge over it and that’s why we think the Bentley is worth spending a few extra bucks over the GLS.

2021 Bentley Bentayga vs 2021 Aston Martin DBX

The Aston Martin DBX is the latest entrant in the ultra-luxury SUV class. The DBX is unmistakably Aston Martin right from its looks to its performance and driving dynamics. While the Bentayga is all about luxury and panache and sophistication, the DBX is a performance luxury SUV. 

The DBX isn’t about the back seat and is built to offer the driver the thrills that any other Aston Martin supercar would and at the same time pamper its passengers. Now, if you like to drive and carry your family around all by yourself, then the DBX is the one you should go for. However, if you’re the one who would be spending her/his time in the back seat, then perhaps you should opt for Bentayga.

2021 Bentley Bentayga vs 2021 Lamborghini Urus

The Urus is just a more practical Lamborghini supercar. The Urus is an all-out driver’s car and is the SUV for the race track. The Lambo offers an enthralling driving experience for the people who would want the thrills of driving a supercar and would like to carry a few people along with them. 

The Urus is the priciest car in the competition but it is also the most powerful and the fastest. The Urus and the Bentayga are based on the same platform, yet there is so much difference in their characters. Again, if you like driving and if you never will be driven by a chauffeur, then the Urus is the one you should go for. If you are the honcho who spends time in the back seat, then the Bentayga is the perfect car for you.

Well, yes, the 2021 Bentley Bentayga is totally a bang for the buck. It is beautiful on the outside and the inside. It comes with a very potent engine, it drives really well and pampers the passengers on the inside really well. 

The 2021 model saw many changes coming in and that has taken the SUV over to a whole new level. This is one of the most gracefully crafted vehicles you’ll ever see and if you have the money and really crave to be pampered in the lap of luxury, then this is the one you should totally go for.